10 Zipcars to be added to Hollywood area

December 16, 2010 12:00:00 AM PST

HOLLYWOOD --

An expanded partnership between the city of Los Angeles and the Zipcar company was announced Thursday.Ten Zipcars will be added to five locations in Hollywood, representatives from Zipcar, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti announced at a news conference Thursday. Representatives from the L.A. Dept. of Transportation were also present at the announcement.

There are more than 60 Zipcars located around Los Angeles near university campuses, including Loyola Marymount University, Occidental College, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Zipcar program is aimed at reducing carbon emissions in each community. According to the mayor's office, the car-sharing service reduces 15 privately owned vehicles off the road per Zipcar; drivers reduce their travel by nearly 50 percent through car-sharing.

Each car is bought and serviced in the city of L.A., which supports the local economy.

The Zipcar service is a membership organization aimed at providing an alternative to owning a car in urban areas and college campuses throughout the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

Five Hollywood locations will have reserved on-street parking spots. The locations were selected for nearby access to public transportation and heavy pedestrian foot traffic.

Hollywood locations include: Vine St. between Sunset Blvd. and Selma Ave.; the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and North Western Ave.; the intersection of Wilcox Ave. and Sunset Blvd.; the intersection of North Highland Ave. and Yucca St.; and at the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Ivar Ave.

Gas, reserved parking spots, insurance, roadside assistance and up to 180 miles per day are included in the hourly and daily Zipcar rates. Cars can be reserved for as short as an hour or for up to four days. Rates on all vehicles start as low $8 per hour and $66 per day (24 hours) on weekdays and $9 per hour and $72 per day (24 hours) on weekends.